Roland Lazenby is among the best scribes covering the NBA. He was at Allen Iverson’s second NBA game against the Chicago Bulls, and put together a very interesting article that supports the belief Iverson has never quite grasped the team concept:
Things started out smoothly enough for Philadelphia. Iverson’s first shot was a silky three-pointer. But within minutes, Bulls forward Dennis Rodman had opened Iverson’s head and climbed right in. Rodman used sly comments and physical play to challenge Iverson.
Rather than ignore those comments, the 20-year-old point guard sought to turn the game into a contest of individual skills. His quickness, unbelievable as it was, was no match for the Bulls’ veteran team play.
Instead of the Sixers getting out and running, it was the Bulls who turned the game into a track meet as one Iverson penetration after another ended badly. Soon, Iverson was so distracted and distraught that Jordan felt the need to talk to him to calm him down.
“Allen got a little frustrated tonight,” Jordan said afterward. “I can’t say that I blame him. It’s a situation where he comes from a heck of a program at Georgetown that wins consistently. At this level, you have to learn to accept losing – not accept, but accept it in a way that’s a learning experience. You utilize it to make you better as a player.
“There are gonna be a lot of other players trying to get into your head, and if you let them into your head, you’re fighting a losing battle. You forget about the overall concept of what you mean to your team and what your team is trying to do.
“Once Dennis and some of the other players got into his head it became a game of individuality for him,” Jordan explained. “And that’s the thing he’s always gonna have to fight against. He’s an extremely talented player, and a very emotive player. So there’s a lot of envy out there, a lot of jealousy, because of what he’s gotten thus far. He’s got to learn to control those emotions.”
